Dallas nonprofits celebrate success in reducing homelessness
DALLAS - A coalition of nonprofits announced an ambitious goal to cut street homelessness in Dallas in half by 2026. They say they're already almost halfway to that goal.
On Monday, Housing Forward announced that the All Neighbors Coalition has rehoused over 12,600 people since 2021, making a 24% reduction in people living on the streets.
Since July, 107 people like Regis Wylie and Charles Williams have found housing through the first phase of the "Street to Home" initiative, which began in July.
Both men were living on the streets near the Downtown Library. They now have apartments they call home.
"We know the work is not done," said Housing Forward President Sara Kahn.
The $30 million "Street to Home" effort is a huge collaboration of 150 partner organizations led by Housing Forward. Funding comes from a combination of public tax dollars and private donations.
"This is a great day on our journey to make homelessness rare, brief, and not reoccurring," said Housing Forward Chair Peter Broadsky.
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"As a community, we’ve cracked the code on how to secure federal funding," added Kahn. "We, I think, all share in the value that no one should be sleeping outside."
Leaders said Dallas is one of only five large cities in America that is seeing a decline in the number of people living on the streets.
The first phase of "Street to Home" targeted Downtown Dallas and made sure the area was not repopulated.
The next phases will tackle other locations in Dallas and Collin counties.